A muscular tissue hardness tester for measuring hardness of muscular tissue by applying pressure to a living body has been used.
Such a muscular tissue hardness tester includes a main needle which is made to contact a living body and a sub-cylinder which covers the main needle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The sub-cylinder is provided to move forward and backward with respect to the main needle and is always urged by an urging member toward a tip.
With this configuration, skin around a site subject to measurement is pressed by a distal end surface of the sub-cylinder and the main needle is pushed into the skin. The pressure of the main needle at this time is measured to determine hardness of the muscular tissue of the living body.
An algesiometer for measuring a degree of sense of pain of a living body by applying pressure to the living body has been used. In such an algesiometer, a main needle is made to contact skin of a subject and is pushed against the skin with increasing pressure. The subject is asked to tell when he or she feels pain. The pressure of the main needle at this time is measured to determine the degree of sense of pain of the living body.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H10-179524